middleofsomewhere | So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

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So Familiar a Gleam: Ongoing

JUST Ā̸̛͇̹̈́͌͐͛̐̋͝Ǹ̵̠͍̲̘͈̮͈̺͔̤͙̳̓̔͑͌̒̓̃́̄̚͘Ớ̶̻̱̄̓͆͂̈́̄̔͋͌̽̀̕͘T̵͙͍͓̻̩͙̻͙̹͎̫̘͇̱̈́̌̓͝ͅH̶̭̻͇̰͈̯̦̹̦̗͐̒́Ẽ̵̡̡̘̳͉͇͚̼̗̣̩͎̞̏͒̈́̏͂̈͝Ř̴̠͋̐͘ NORMAL DAY

"Jinnjar citizens. Unfortunately, all train travel will be closed due to issues on the lines. Members of the Voidtrecker Express have been located around the city, and are deploying trickery to agitate and confuse us. We ask any volunteers at this time to help us locate any suspicious objects and people, and to restrain them.

For the f̴̘̯̰̦̺͖̔͌̋̃ũ̴̢̖̦͙̩̼̺̪͚͍̥͈̜̝͋̌̒̊̚ẗ̶̪̺͕̤̯̞̤͓̝́̑̄̎̊̕future of our city!"

A TL;DR notes version of days/prompts: (click to show)

EVENT BASICS:

DAYS 5 & 6:

By now, some people have broken out of their fake lives while some haven't. Tension is rising in the city as people are led to believe this is by the Voidtreckers, which some will believe due to illusions and messing with one's heads is believed to be one of their many tactics.
Some oddities are occurring with travel, and glimpses of how the city is made beginning to show. The streams of colour - the void - are getting brighter. Electronics are not working well. Some monster sightings are seen, but not to a large degree.
The prompts here are light to give characters and players time to ICly coordinate, as Voidtreckers are being more actively hunted. Some faces are known. You know who you are, troublemakers.

DAYS 7 & 8:

The world is really starting to go a bit wild now, with more things disappearing, animals on the loose and more monster sightings.
By the end of day eight most people have realised the truth though those who are very susceptible to mind control or very stubbornly wanting to believe in this world will still be trapped, believing this is the Voidtreckers doing.
There are monsters to fight, people to keep calm and a plan to make.

[ HOME SWEET...HOME? ] By day 5, the people of Jinnjar are in a state of anxiety more than before. There's those who realise they're not a part of this world, never were, while there's those who still cling onto this life. Health services say that the source of confusion comes from the colour trails that are brighter than ever in the sky, while the D-Force/Heroes have it confirmed - internally and publicly - that there are Voidtreckers amongst them.

The media shows pictures of potential suspects, some Voidtreckers, some not; a man with the same face as two others, one who made a show by creating ice in the middle of the street. Your face may be shown, but don't worry - they're asking people not to play vigilante.

That'll surely keep people behaved.

[ TRAVEL REVIEW. ] As if it couldn't get more frustrating, most of the trains are down. Air taxis are still available for short journeys, yet some people have the bizarre occurrence where they end up in the wrong spot, and even remember going in this wrong direction...but never say anything about it. Those using the tele-pads will also find themselves not always arriving where they should, or worse, suffering intense headaches, swirling colours behind their eyes, their thoughts jumbled for as long as ten minutes before it passes.

You might want to walk.

[ MAKING DO. ] Still, with all the chaos, many are trying to live. You have a life here, no matter what some other force is trying to make you believe,

For our HEROES: The cinema has rethought its showings due to the worrying happenings of the last few days. Clearly a boost in morale is needed and so they have pulled out some of the great films of the past. Action films that show heroes beating the bad guys, disaster films where the good guys beat the aliens, stop the natural disaster or thwart the secret agency looking to take down civilisation from the inside, at the last minute. Even the childrens films have taken on a pro-hero and triumphant air.

It's not quite distraction though, how could it be when every film has a warning before and after. REMEMBER TO REPORT ALL SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO DFORCE and WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SHOW. REMEMBER TO WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS AS CAREFULLY AS YOU DID THE SCREEN.
Fun Park: It's for the kids, but one of the largest arcade parks has a special discount on everything to anyone who come visit. It's even advertised across the news: For half the price, get amazing fun and even better food! Kids younger than eight or from the orphanages get free access everywhere!

It's time not to think too hard, and to ignore the trouble! Play laser tag, racing cars or get a high score on the dance mat!
Encroaching Dangers: Something new is beginning to happen, as the city continues to shift. It starts at night, those that stay out past when the streets go quiet might see a shadow, might hear a growl.

Rumours and reports start to spread about monsters on the street.

DAY SIX: HELP FROM INSIDE

[ AID. ] DIAGNET is full of videos but one that has started doing the rounds is of a small droid and a cat. It's not hard to see why it has gone viral, the cat and cleaning droid are chasing each other around an apartment, caught on a home security footage. The cat tries to catch the droid but every time it gets close the droid turns to chase it and the cat runs away. It has been uploaded with stirring orchestral music, which adds to the madness.

But... For those Voidtreckers who have already regained their memories that little droid seems familiar indeed. As do the sounds that punctuate the music.

beep beep beep boop | boop

boop boop beep | boop boop boop

boop boop | boop boop boop | boop boop boop | boop beep | boop beep beep | beep beep boop | beep beep beep | boop

boop beep boop beep | beep boop | beep beep boop beep | beep

boop boop boop | beep boop beep | boop beep beepp | beep | beep boop beep

boop beep | beep beep boop | boop | beep boop beep | beep beep | boop | beep | beep boop

Of course it might not be anything, just weird droid sounds that haven't been fully edited out of the video.

[ MOONDUST CAFÉ. ] It might be that they figured out the message or, it might be that a friend is dragging them to the cafe. But for those that make their way there, they will find the Moondust Cafe is a bustling cafe on the edge of a park, near local transport links.

For those that say the right words, a slightly bored looking teenager manning the counter waves them to a side door. "Best sit downstairs, service will be quicker."

Downstairs has a fair number of tables and booths and is lit by coloured lighting making everything look a little obscure. There's soft music playing, not loud enough to make it impossible to hear each other but enough to make it a little harder for evesdroppers.

Mingle, discuss. This is probably the closest to a safe space there is.

[ LOST & LOST. ] You may have spotted it already - that is, spotted what's missing. There's been the pets, the birds in the sky, a pen or apple or wrench from the garage. But now, with every single bad thing going on, more is starting to disappear. Machines stop working, from air conditioning, freezers, your Jinnjar MP3 player, to TVs and more.

And in some business buildings, even entire rooms are gone, their floors empty of more than the door you opened to find this out. Even the heroes seem worried and they quickly clear any affected areas, chasing away bystanders and sealing off whole wings of office blocks.

None of them have answers though, except that this must be the Voidtreckers doing. After all who else but that group could have power enough to do such damage?

DAY SEVEN & EIGHT: UNRAVELLING

[ OVEREXPOSURE. ] Everything is starting to escalate. The headaches are getting regular the more you're outside, buildings are starting to go missing around the outskirts. People see parts of the city flickering, and when they reach certain sections of the city, they find they can't go beyond it.

Life tries to go on, but as more areas of the city begin to be sealed off and considered dangerous, even those who are most stubborn about pretending everything is normal can see that is is not.

[ LET LOOSE. ] The breaking down of the city has caused a lot of chaos, but one of the biggest problems are that parts of the zoo have vanished. Walls, fences, enclosure roofs. Meaning that the animals inside are no longer confined and are now prowling the city streets. Real birds now fill the sky that the fakes left empty.

And they aren't all that's there. Twisted creatures are becoming more common on the streets of Diagad. Creatures that look almost like animals but warp and twist between them, one moment a bear the next it has horns and then it is a wolf. But no matter how they look those claws and teeth are bad news for everyone.

[ CRUMBLING, CRUMBLING. ] By day eight whole streets are disappearing. homes, houses. people need to be moved in closer around the congress sector. Colours crackle through the sky like lightning and the world shakes often.

It's not just the infrastructure but the memories of those in the city. Dreams have come realities and all but the most stubborn have begun to realise that this world is not their own. They are from another place. What is going on? Why are they in this city? Who are these people who are their 'family'?

Confusion and anger are growing in the streets and it is perhaps time for the Voidtreckers to come out of the shadows.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It goes without saying that when she doesn't want to budge, she isn't easily moved. She looks down at the arm being pulled, then up at Alice. Her expression is flat, with none of the usual...well, Guri to it. None of the enthusiasm, or concern.

"Alice," she replies, steadily. "Please release my arm."

"No!"

Maybe it's not the best idea to say that. To protest like this to someone who could probably crush Alice if she tried. Sure, Alice herself is far from helpless - even without the powers the illusion had granted her, she still has plenty of ways to fight. She's still stronger than she looks.

But not stronger than a robot. Still, Alice doesn't budge in the slightest. She can't just let Guri walk over there and get herself into trouble like that.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Disrupting a concentration of enemy defense forces," she replied, in the same even tone.

"I calculate a mere twenty-six percent chance they can inflict meaningful damage - and that will mean a lowered enemy presence, ideally, on the the way to critical infrastructure. An opening other voidtreckers can exploit."

There is a pause.

"I will require my arm for the task."

Ugh, of course she's going to get a way too literal answer to that. Of course. This is Guri. Even when she's acting more than herself, she's already the type to take things a little too literally.

And right now? Guri seems so much less like herself. But oddly enough she doesn't seem like the Guri from a few days ago either. She is neither right now, and that fact really doesn't sit right with Alice. If anything, it just makes her latch onto that arm even more tightly, usual unease with physical contact be damned.

"I am not going to let you get hurt. Or let you get yourself into trouble." Especially with how much the city seems to be on high alert right now. "Besides, this-- this isn't you. You wouldn't want to fight."

Didn't she and Guri talk about that often enough in the past?

"No, I do not," she replied. "But after several days of being pursued, I have realized that avoiding direct action is an unsustainable response. Small damage is accruing."

Like the visible bullet wound on her chest, seen through what remains of some of her normal clothes. Or the one lodged on her side, or the other, lower down on her leg. She gestures towards the barricade with the free arm.

"It is the only logical course of action available, given extant evidence. The safety of this unit is immaterial given the larger issues at play."

Her eyes widen.

Not because the wounds, mind you. Alice could already see those from a distance, since it's very hard to miss what sort of state Guri is in right now. Those are worrying too, but thankfully Guri can sustain this sort of thing a little better than most humans, so there's the opportunity to make that a second priority for now.

No, the reason for the surprise and desperation in Alice's eyes lies elsewhere entirely. It lies with what Guri is saying.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Alice gives another tug on the arm, as useless as it may be. "What if you get worse damage? What if they break you?"

“The safety of this unit is immaterial given the larger issues at play,” she repeats.

“Combat cannot be avoided, and local reality may be collapsing. Action is required.”

She looks to the barricade again. “And threat level remains within acceptable parameters…now thirty-two percent, given preparation time caused by delay.”

And the look in her eyes, placid, unfeeling - may give some indication why she’s like this. Emotions had been overwhelming and so…she’d shut them off. The error, of course, was in not realizing what a large part they played in who she was.

It does seem like there aren't a whole lot of emotions going on with Guri right now. And while it'd be easy for someone who never met her to assume the other never had any to begin with, Alice has seen different. She's seen the other worried, she's seen the other happy. She knows that usually Guri is not like this.

But that's exactly why Alice knows she can't give up right now. If she leaves Guri to her own devices, while she's operating by cold logic alone, the other will never make it out of here. And who knows what those D-Force people would do if they got their hands on her - especially if they already damaged her this much.

"The safety of this unit," she repeats, making sure to use the exact same wording as Guri herself, "is important to me!"

That much is true. Regardless of what happened in the illusion, or any awkward feelings. Guri already called her special before that, and they're-- they're.. friends, right?

If nothing else, Alice knows her heart aches so much at the thought of anything happening to Guri. That by itself is important enough.

There is silence for a long moment as this is processed. That time is elongated by a canister of tear gas sailing towards them. She looks up, almost idly, and the arm with the riot shield bats it away.

Then she refocuses on Alice.

"You would suggest an alternative," she finally replied. It's small, but it's a start.

"Yes." Alice says, quickly. Maybe too quickly, driven by the desperation that's still present in her tone, even now. Like she doesn't want to let this thought slip from Guri's mind, not even for a moment.

"Let's-- Let's get out of the way first."

This is no way to talk, while the D-Force will probably continue to lob things at them while they're still standing here.

"Okay? Let's talk somewhere where we are not directly in line of these idiots." There's a small pause, and then, because it's Guri, Alice even bothers to add a rare: ".. Please?"

She casts a last glance in the direction of the barricade.

"Acceptable. They appear to be receiving reinforcements. I will follow."

It's already enough of a relief that Guri is agreeing at all. There's no time to think about anything else - about the way the other responds, so unemotionally, so unlike Guri.

All that matters is getting out of the way, so that's what Alice quickly does. She keeps holding onto Guri's arm, trying to drag her along as Alice starts running. Just heading to the shadows isn't enough. They need to actively shake off their trail, just so those D-Force people won't be coming after them.

It's only when they're a few streets away that Alice finally stops. She seems to be slightly out of breath, leaning with her hands on her knees, and says more to herself than to Guri: "Ugh, I hate everything about this!"

And she is pulled along, going with it out of the sake of curiosity, if nothing else. To find out what happens next.

Alice out of breath is new, however, and the response is immediate.

"Are you in need of medical attention? And this situation is non-ideal, that is correct."

"I.."

She starts, but then her voice trails off. Alice isn't sure what she's in need of, really. She doesn't know anything other than the fact that her mind feels scrambled ten times over, but there's no time to stop and think about that in the middle of all this chaos going on here. There's no time to think about it in the face of having to keep Guri safe right now, more than anything else.

"I'm fine," she says, waving a hand dismissively, even though she still seems out of breath. "I am going to keep you safe."

Or well, safe now, anyway, considering she's a little too late to keep any harm from befalling Guri.

Edited 2021-07-23 21:26 (UTC)

The burns, tears and cuts to her clothing, along with the singed hair and, well, the wounds - they attested to the fact that harm had definitely happened.

But she still stood, impassively watching.

"If this unit were running at full functionality, it would insist that you not risk your own existence for mine."

"Well, it is pretty much too late for that." After all, Alice already got into the line of fire just now when she just ran in. Even if they may - hopefully - be out of danger for a moment, the whole risking her life part already happened.

But that - the objective side - is easy to acknowledge. It's all the mess underneath it that Alice isn't too sure whether she wants to touch it or not.

"I do not know what happened to you, but.. you can't just pretend that you don't matter."

"The flower shop was burned," she replied, matter-of-factly. She had interpreted the last as a query.

"The news announced my robotic nature and a mob formed. The incendiaries," she indicated the burned hair, "were to drive me into a D-Force ambush. The first bullet wound," she indicated her chest, "was received then. Given the collapse of the previously assumed identity and emotional difficulties associated with it, this unit...I was...not properly prepared."

"Several days of chases and conflicts followed. Emotions were providing contradictory and incomprehensible feedback, so to ensure proper performance and survival, those sections of my mind were shut down."

.. well, though it is good to know what happened to lead things to this point, at the same time hearing it feels awful. Especially since Alice had been so out of it in her own daze, hanging between her old memories and her new ones, that she hadn't even had the time or the mind to check up on any of the people she knew.

So it feels like it's her fault now. If she had been a little faster, if she had been able to get back up on her feet and looked for Guri right away, could she have prevented this? At least some of it?

Alice sinks to the ground, sitting with her back against the wall of the alleyway, burying her face in her hands.

She was right. She really does hate everything about this.

"I am sorry you had to go through all that by yourself," she mumbles, considering her face is still very much in her hands.

She, in turn, crouched down, looking curiously.

"You did not contribute to the problem," she replies. "But you appear to be in distress."

"I am in distress!" She says. It's not exactly said in an angry, snapping sort of way, but her voice is drenched in emotion all the same. It's almost as if Alice only displays more emotion when Guri displays less.

Her face raises from her hands. She's not exactly crying, but somehow she almost looks like she's close to it.

"I hate everything. Them forcing fake memories on us, and then hunting us down and hurting you! I hate all of it!"

"Your re-entry was difficult," she states. It isn't a question.

And there's just enough of the usual Guri still active to reach out a comforting hand, placing it on her shoulder.

It isn't a question on Guri's part, and Alice knows it to be the objective truth on her part too. She's never dealt with these sorts of things well, and despite the training she earnestly tried to get into, back in that other place they visited, she's just so weak to these sorts of things. There's only so much you can do to protect your mind from illusions when said mind is so fragile to begin with.

It looks like the tears are finally fully starting to form in her eyes as she looks over at Guri.

"I can't believe I just let them hurt you."

Because that hurt. Regardless that this place made their bond seem like it was something different from what it really is, it still hurts. Guri said she was special to her - and here Alice is letting her down when the other needed her the most. Having been unable to be there.

"They would have killed you," she replied, evenly and without hesitation. "I do not believe this unit, in full capacity, would wish you to share the experience."

"You made no errors," she continued. "The errors were made some time ago. Emotions were allowed to cloud judgment, leaving this unit vulnerable to threats that should have been anticipated."

Another pause, as if information is carefully being accessed without it being unleashed again.

"They allowed the illusions to succeed, this time."

They?

Alice wonders if Guri is talking about herself. It seems like it, but it's all a little bit harder to determine when the other is speaking of herself in such a distant way in the first place. But if she is talking about herself.. It definitely sounds like she's just blaming herself for what happened.

And Alice knows she doesn't like the sound of that.

"You couldn't help it. None of us could. We were all trapped in that illusion."

She meant the mob and security forces, but even if she knew what Alice was thinking - what would one more thing be, now? One more misunderstanding, one more negative thing.

Just data to be dealt with, this way. And, in that mode, she interprets things through her own paradigm, carrying over into other, even more dangerous territory.

"No, it was...ideal. A state this unit has wished to achieve, and should have known better than to accept as real. There were layers of impossibility."

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